Axos Bank Review 2023
- Preventing overdraft charges
- Early paycheck via direct deposit
- Loans and banking in one place
Axos Bank was one of the first online-only banks. It opened for business on July 4, 2000, as Bank of Internet USA and grew steadily for nearly two decades before rebranding itself as Axos Bank in 2018.
It has a lot of options for checking and savings accounts and even has some pretty sweet options for small businesses. But, it’s not perfect and our review of the online bank shows both pros and cons.
Our Axos Bank review will give you an honest look at the bank’s checking account and savings account features for individuals, as well as its overall convenience and mobile banking features so you can make an informed decision about where to do your banking.
Let’s review the checking and savings accounts offerings, plus accounts geared to small- and medium-sized businesses.
Pros and Cons
The following our overall impressions of Axos Bank:
Pros
- Almost entirely fee-free banking
- Lots of options for small business banking
- Highly regarded customer service
- Unlimited ATM fee reimbursement for most accounts
Cons
- Some reviews claim that the app is slow or buggy
- No physical branches
- Interest rates are good, but they are not the best we’ve found
Axos Checking Accounts
Picking a checking account that’s right for you is personal. Among some of the most popular features for checking accounts are no minimum balance requirements and no monthly maintenance fees. No overdraft fees are also a plus. Let’s review three Axos Bank checking accounts and determine whether they’re the right fit for you. In addition to the accounts below, Axos Bank also offers basic checking accounts designed for specific ages. The Golden Checking is for the 55 and older crowd, while First Checking is designed for teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Overall, all of Axos’s checking accounts offer good benefits without getting bogged down by monthly fees.
Essential Checking
- No minimum balance requirement.
- Unlimited domestic ATM-fee reimbursement.
- Automatic early paycheck deposit.
Rewards Checking
- Earn up to 1.25% APY.
- Interest begins accruing immediately.
- No fees or minimum balance requirements.
CashBack Checking
- 1.00% cash back on some debit card purchases.
- Pay friends directly from your account.
- No maintenance fees.
Axos Savings Account
If personal savings account options are high on your list, Axos Bank may not be the bank for you. There’s the high-yield savings account and, well, that’s it. It does, however, reward balances under $25,000 with a healthy 0.61% APY.
High Yield Savings
- 0.61% APY.
- No maintenance fees.
- Free ATM card available.
Axos Bank Business Accounts
Axos Bank offers four different checking accounts and savings accounts for small- and midsize-business owners. This is more than most banks offer, and the interest-bearing accounts offer higher interest than other banks we’ve reviewed. In our Axos Bank review, we found the following accounts fit for entrepreneurs.
Basic Business Checking
- No monthly maintenance fees.
- Unlimited credits, debits and deposited items.
- $400 welcome bonus**
Business owners can get up to a $400 welcome bonus! Open a business checking account by June 30 and get up to $400 when you use promo code NEW400 on your application and maintain a minimum average daily balance of $50,000.**
Business Interest Checking
- 1.01% APY on balances under $50,000.
- 100 free transactions per month.
- Unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursement.
Business Savings
- 0.20% APY.
- Variable interest compounded daily.
- $200 bonus for new business owners.
Business Premium Savings
- 0.20% interest on balances $24,000+.
- Get a $375 welcome bonus
- No maintenance fee or daily balance requirement
Plus, business owners get up to $375 welcome bonus! Choose smarter business banking by Jan. 31 and enjoy up to 4.01% APY* and a bonus of up to $375 when you maintain a minimum average daily balance of $75,000. Just use promo code BPS375 on your application.
Business Money Market
- 0.20% APY.
- $5,000 daily balance requirement.
- $1,000 opening deposit.
Other Axos Products
Even as an online bank, Axos offers a pretty full menu of banking products beyond just checking and savings accounts. You can find all of these banking options at Axos:
- Home loans
- Auto loans
- Personal loans
- Investment property lending
- Managed investment portfolios
If you’re comfortable handling all of these things online, it can be convenient to have your loans at the same place that handles your personal banking.
Axos Bank Customer Service
Axos Bank gets rave reviews for customer service in the app stores with a 4.4 out of 5 stars in Google and a slightly higher 4.7 stars in Apple. In the Google app store, one customer wrote, “If you need to talk to someone on the phone, they are there to help.”
That is definitely true for personal banking when representatives staff the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week with only Thanksgiving and Christmas off.
If you need help with loans, auto refinancing, small business banking and investment property lending, Axos customer service hours are more traditional banking times from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. generally Pacific Time. That makes sense because Axos is based in San Diego, California.
Messages can also be sent through your login on the website and for more general information, follow them on Twitter, @AxosBank. Messaging through social media is often a good way to get a quick response from a company.
Is Axos Bank Right for You?
Axos Bank offers a lot of benefits, but that doesn’t mean it’s the perfect fit for everyone. If you think you’re in the market to switch to an online-only bank, it’s probably worth your time to scout out Axos Bank. There’s a lot to like and not much to dislike.
See how Axos compared to the other banks on our list of the best online banks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Axos Bank
Yes, Axos is a legitimate online-only bank. Axos Banks is a direct banking arm of the publicly-held company Axos Financial. The bank is federally chartered, FDIC insured and BBB accredited.
Yes! Axos Bank was previously Bank of Internet USA and then BofI Federal Bank. It’s been known as Axos Bank since around 2018.
Axos Bank is the direct banking arm of Axos Financial, the bank holding company previously known as BofI Holding.
Axos is an online-only bank so if you like walking into a physical place to do your banking business face-to-face, it may not be for you. But, if you’re computer and smartphone savvy, Axos allows you to do all of your banking from wherever you are at any given moment. You can also access your money through a network of 91,000 ATMs with no fees.
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) has been writing and editing for online audiences since 2011, covering personal finance, careers and digital media. She is a former staffer at The Penny Hoarder. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, CNBC, The Motley Fool, Inc. and more.
* To be eligible to earn all or a portion of the cash incentive as part of the promotional offer “BPS375,” a Business Premium Savings (BPS) account must be submitted between 08/31/2023 at 12:00 am PT and 12/31/2023 at 11:59 pm PT. Axos Bank reserves the right to limit each primary account holder or business title to one (1) savings account promotional offer per year. Businesses that have held an Axos Bank or UFB or Axos Bank for Nationwide checking or savings account past 12 months under the same title are not eligible for this offer. Promotional terms and conditions are subject to change or removal without notice. Incentive may be taxable and reported on IRS Form 1099–MISC. Consult your tax advisor. After initial requirements above are met, the amount of incentive earned will depend on meeting the additional requirements outlined below:
Business Premium Savings bonus of up to $375: You must be approved for your new Business Premium Savings account and fund it within 30 days of account opening. An incentive of up to $375 can be earned during the first four (4) statement cycles. A statement cycle is a calendar month consisting of at least one day your account was open during that month. $75 will be earned for each statement cycle during which the average daily balance in your Business Premium Savings account is between $30,000 and $74,999.99. $125 will be earned for each statement cycle during which the average daily balance in your Business Premium Savings account is a minimum of $75,000 or greater. You can earn a maximum of three (3) payouts during the four (4) statement cycles, and the incentive will be deposited into your Business Premium Savings account within 10 business days following the end of the statement cycle in which the balance requirement was met. Your Business Premium Savings account must remain open and in good standing at the time the incentive is paid to be eligible. Furthermore, your Business Premium Savings account must remain open for 120 days, or an early closure fee of up to $375 may
**You must be approved for your new Basic Business Checking or Business Interest Checking account and fund it within 30 days of account opening. An incentive of up to $400 can be earned during the first five (5) statement cycles. A statement cycle is a calendar month consisting of at least one day your account was open during that month. You can earn a maximum of four (4) payouts during the five (5) statement cycles, and the incentive will be deposited into the qualifying account within 10 business days following the end of the statement cycle in which the balance requirement was met.
• $75 will be earned for each statement cycle , up to $300 during when you meet three requirements : 1) the average daily balance in your Basic Business Checking account or Business
Interest Checking Account is between $25,000 and $49,999.99, 2) you have completed ten (10) point–of–sale transactions per month using your Small Business Checking Visa® Debit Card for
signature–based purchases with a minimum of $3 per transaction, 3) You must also have bill pay set up and connected to your Basic Business Checking account or Business Interest Checking
account. The bill pay transaction minimum is $10.
• $100 will be earned for each statement cycle, up to $400 during when you meet three requirements : 1) the average daily balance in your Basic Business Checking account or Business
Interest Checking Account is greater than $50,000, 2) you have completed ten (10) point–of–sale transactions per month using your Small Business Checking Visa® Debit Card for signature–based
purchases with a minimum of $3 per transaction, 3) You must also have bill pay set up and connected to your Basic Business Checking account or Business Interest Checking account. The
bill pay transaction minimum is $10. Your Small Business Checking account must remain open and in good standing at the time the incentive
is paid to be eligible. Furthermore, your Small Business Checking account must remain open for 150 days, or an early closure fee of up to $400 may apply.
